Pictures of the day: 2 October 2012

Two white-tailed kites exchange their prey in mid-air. Photographer Steve Shinn captured the sight in rural Orange County, California. He says: "The male goes hunting and returns with loud chirps to alert the waiting female. She flies up to meet him and takes the prize from his talons. She then goes to a nearby branch to rip into it. Occasionally the male will return to eat one himself, but sometimes the female will fly over and take it from him by force and eat it while sitting next to him."Picture: Steve Shinn / Rex Features